Doctor BA Answers Email Questions

Juan D from Barcelona, Spain, asks about transition requirements.

I just read about transition requirements in the BABOK. Are they always necessary? What if there is no existing system or the new solution is adding an entirely new capability to the organization rather than enhancing or modifying an existing system? There would not be any transition from old system to new, right? And no need for transition requirements?

Doctor BA answers thusly:

“Whenever there is a change, there is a transition of some kind - a transition from old (before the change) to new (after the change). There may not be as many specific requirements, but there is at least a requirement for time to get used to the new and for some form of training - it may not be formal - for the users to become familiar with the new."

“In truth, we are always in transition. I am still transitioning. Of course, sometimes I don’t know what I am transitioning from or to which is why some transition requirements might be helpful to map the way. Especially to get from one slope to another and then transition back to the lodge."

"In terms of the specific situation of no existing system, how is the capability being done now? What did the people who are using the new capability do before the new capability is added to their job? Why was the new capability added in the first place? Answer these questions, and you might see what kind of transition requirements are necessary."

I am dealing with a somewhat unresponsive stakeholder. What would be your way of convincing him?

Doctor BA’s answer

"First of all, I am not sure what is meant by ‘unresponsive’ although it sounds like the stakeholder might be unresponsive to the argument that the business analyst is putting forward, or in other words, the stakeholder does not agree with the business analyst.

What would you be convincing the stakeholder of? As a business analyst your relationship with the stakeholders is to obtain information from them to define and solve a business problem. Typically, in true problem solving mode, you develop multiple alternate solutions. You may recommend one of the alternates, but in the end, the decision is that of the business stakeholder. You don't "convince" them of anything.

If the problem is that the stakeholder is not responding at all, that's another question and first of all I would check the stakeholder’s pulse. In all cases a strong cup of coffee will do wonders to get responses."

The final question I submitted to Doctor BA over the two to three week period appears to be an interview question that many people might have run into., This one came from Robby B from East Hartford, Connecticut, US. He asks:

A question I got recently had me wondering. Do you have an answer to this: how do you manage the stakeholders?

Doctor BA’s responded in this way:

"Perhaps the question was asked as a "false positive" question? That is, a question for which no answer is good because the question is misleading. Or simply said, a "trick question".

For example, why would you want to "manage" a stakeholder? Business analysis stakeholders typically come from the business side so they have their own "managers" to manage them. And if the questioner is thinking of ‘manage’ in the sense of ‘manipulate; then it might be a question you might decline to answer. If asked this question, my inclination would be to return the question with "what do you mean by 'manage'?

Remember that business analysts have no authority so ‘managing’ people does not typically fall under their auspices, other than managing other business analysts, and then they would not be playing the role of business analyst, but rather the role of business analyst manager. And that is another question entirely.
Now if the question is short hand for “manage the expectations of the stakeholders”, that is a different question entirely and one that surely could be brought up another day when the snow has melted."

Author: Steve Blais, PMP, PMI-PBA